Each week we'll be surveying what the media, state agencies, insurance companies, and others report in terms of workers' comp fraud. Just like a police blotter, our workers' comp fraud blotter lists recent arrests, charges, convictions, and investigations.

Workers' Comp Fraud Blotter – November 6, 2009

San Clemente Sting Nabs 15 Unlicensed Contractors (CA) –  The Contractor’s State License Board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) partnered with Orange County District Attorney’s investigators and Sheriff’s Department investigators for a two-day sting operation, catching 15 unlicensed contractors working in San Clemente . Read more

Tulsa Attorney and Former Attorney Charged With Embezzlement (OK) – William J. Anton and Fred M. Schraeder have been accused of embezzling $1,169,514.18 from clients' personal injury and life insurance settlements and workers' compensation benefits claims. Read more

Former Gas Station Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion, Workers’ Comp Fraud (CA) – Toan Cong Bui, a former owner of gas stations in Marina, Pacific Grove and Hollister, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and failure to provide workers' compensation. Read more

Labor Commissioner Levies Nearly $1 Million in Citations During Statewide Enforcement of Carwash Industry (CA) – Investigators from the California Labor Commissioner’s Office issued over $900,000 in fines to businesses in the car wash industry in a two day statewide enforcement sweep. The penalties included a total of $600,900 issued to 76 unlicensed carwash businesses that were cited for not having a registration. Read more

Hospital Under Investigation for Alleged Bad Faith Denial and Fraudulent Actions (NC) – The Dept. of Justice and Dept. of Insurance are presently discussing how to handle the case of Asheville Mission Hospital after the Industrial Commission sanctioned the hospital for failing to turn over key evidence in workers' compensation cases, giving employees blatantly incorrect information about the law and repeatedly denying benefits without basis. Read more

Former AG Aide Attempted to Commit Workers’ Comp Fraud (OH) – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation found that Anthony Gutierrez, the former top aide to fallen Attorney General Marc Dann, committed attempted fraud by improperly classifying workers to lower premiums he owed to the agency. Read more

Skydiving Claimant Accused of Workers’ Comp Fraud (NY) – Jacob H. Bancroft, who was accused in April of receiving $83,000 in workers’ comp payments to which he wasn’t entitled and was photographed skydiving after claiming workers’ compensation, was featured on Good Morning America. Read more

Jury Finds Former Insurance Agent Must Pay Township (IL) – A jury awarded the Bourbonnais Township more than $400,000 in its lawsuit against former insurance agent Larry Chouinard, who is accused of collecting workers’ comp premiums and keeping it for himself. Read more

Insurance Company Employee Sentenced for Workers’ Comp Fraud (SC) – Tammy C. Watkins was sentenced in federal court for her role in changing federal tax ID’s of legitimate BlueCross BlueShield health care providers to non-health care providers who received workers’ comp checks in the mail and then cashed them using bogus accounts and distributed the proceeds to Watkins and six other co-conspirators. Read more

Baton Rouge Woman Accused of Workers’ Comp Insurance Fraud (LA) – Donna Dodson has been accused of stealing close to $80,000 from her employer Mid South Insurance Agency by allegedly telling construction businesses that they could receive discounts on their worker's compensation policies if they paid in cash, and then pocketing the cash without initiating the insurance policy. Read more